Tag Archives: books about war

It’s Tuesday which means it’s time for ‘Top Ten Tuesday’ from The Broke and the Bookish is back today, this week is about books we’ve given up on.

I have a special rule after I almost gave up on Harry Potter the first time, I have to read at least 50 pages before I allow myself to give up, and often I do end up deciding it may not be the right time.

I’ve tried to pick books/authors which are well known, maybe you can convince me to try again?!

As always, in no particular order.

A Suitable Boy- Vikram Seth

I tried to read this very popular book when I was at uni. I persevered for a long time, and still have it on my shelves in the hope I will one day be able to find out what it is that made so many love it. I found it slow, and pretty hard going. I finally gave up on in when I spent a whole train journey picking it up only to shortly decide staring out a window was better entertainment.The Hunchback of Notredame- Victor Hugo

I tried to read this one for The Rory List. Getting to 50 pages was difficult. It was rambling and mainly seemed to be complaining about Parisian architecture. I finally started getting interested in the story just before 50 pages, then Hugo went off on another waffling ramble and I threw the book across the room. It’s half the reason that Les Mis is still on my kindle unstarted.

Birds Without Wings- Louis de Bernieres

I have a strange relationship with Louis de Bernieres books. I found the first chapter of ‘Captain Correlli’s Mandolin’ really difficult but loved the rest of the book, I didn’t really like ‘The Partisan’s Daughter’ until I’d finished it, ‘The War of Don Emmanuel’s Nether Parts‘ is one of my favourite books of all time, but the sequel I recently put to the side. ‘Birds Without Wings’ I technically put to the side, it’s still on my shelves, but I doubt I’m going to finish it as it’s not been touched since uni.

Two Years Eight Months and Twenty-Eight Nights- Salman Rushdie

I was really excited when I got accepted to read ‘Two Years Eight Months and Twenty-Eight Nights’ on netgalley after I’d loved ‘Midnight’s Children’, and I really persevered with it. There were some elements that I liked but it just didn’t click and I found I was picking it up less and less.

Vanity Fair- William Makepeace Thackery

Another classic picked up from ‘The Rory List’. I do often find classics a struggle. With this one I didnt even manage my 50 page rule with this one because I had in my bag when a water bottle leaked, and I decided I was kind of glad so didn’t try and save it. I swear I usually look after my books better!

J- Howard Jacobson

I must admit I requested this one from netgalley because The Finkler Question had recently won The Booker. I’d never read any Jacobson before, and this one just didn’t click with me

Suite Française-Irène Némirovsky

This one sounds like it would be right up my alley. A book set in wartime, by a person who had actually lived it. Loads of people seem to have loved it, so it isn’t completely abandoned yet but it’s been sitting on my shelves waiting for me to pick it back up for years. When I did first try to read it I found it just a bit too long for the story to get started

The Colour Of Magic- Terry Pratchett

I really loved Pratchett’s Johnny books, and I’ve tried a few of his discworld novels over time but only ‘Mort’ really clicked with me. I tried Colour of Magic most recently so that’s why I picked it for this list.

The Loney- Andrew Mitchell Hurley

This is so recently abandoned that it’s still sitting by my bed. I probably will pick it back up as mainly I stopped reading it because whenever I look at it I get this song (below) stuck in my head (yes even though it’s Loney not lonely). Yeah it was getting annoying so I made sure I put down the book facedown and then just sort of didn’t pick it up again…yet.

Oh no! Now it’s in my head again!

Have you seen my giveaway of the awesome book ‘Yes Means Yes’? Click here to enter.

‘Pegasus Falling’ is an indie story written with Thomas’ own memories of fighting in WW2 as part of a parachute regiment, and including elements of stories about prisoners of war and those who spent time in concentration camps. ‘Pegasus Falling’ is the first in a series which continues with ‘It Never Was You’

The Shouting Wind- Linda Newberry

‘The Shouting Wind’ is a story of a woman who joins the WAAF during WW2. It was one of my favourite books as a teenager.

A Little Love Song- Michelle Magorian

Michelle Mogorian is better known as the author of ‘Goodnight Mister Tom’ (another good war novel) but ‘A Little Love Song’ is more grown-up. It is about a teenager who moves to the country during WW2 and falls in love. It’s probably more of a love story than a war story but some of the issues in it are to do with the war

‘The Almond Tree’ is an indie novel and is honestly one of the best war novels I’ve read. It takes part in occupied Israel and concerns the Israel-Palestine conflict. It follows a boy living in the area whose Father is arrested and has to become the man of the house overnight

Pam Jenoff is quite well known in some circles, and Kommandant’s Girl is probably her most famous, but I don’t think I’ve seen it reviewed on any other blogs. I was umming and ahhing over whether to include it. I decided to because it is marketed more as a romance book than a war book (which I disagree with). It’s about a woman in the resistance who has a mission which involves creating a relationship with a German Kommandant.

Remembrance- Theresa Breslin

Remembrance is about a woman who becomes a nurse during WW1

Goodbye Marianne- Irene N. Watts

‘Goodbye Marianne’ is the story of a Jew growing up in Nazi Germany and how she escapes on the Kindertransport. The Kindertransport is reason for the title, but it’s not the part of the book I remember the most

I didn’t quite make it to 10 this time (so many war books are well known!) but you can see more of my war book recommendations here